Land/wildlife council to have conference call

Due to weather concerns, the Private Land/Public Wildlife Council will meet by conference call today, instead of traveling to Helena as previously scheduled for a two-day meeting.

During the noon to 2 p.m., conference call, council members will work to finalize recommendations on proposals related to hunter behavior, hunting access to private land and the Block Management Program, nonresident hunting licenses and outfitted hunting.

Members of the public who want to listen to the conference call work session may come to the Commission Room, located at Helena FWP Headquarters at 1420 E. Sixth Ave.

For more information, contact Alan Charles at 444-3798 or acharles@mt.gov.

Glacier Institute offers winter wildlife course

The Glacier Institute is offering a wildlife course titled "Stories in the Snow" on Saturday, Jan. 24 and March 7.

The course focuses on forest carnivores that remain active in winter, such as the lynx, fisher, pine marten, mountain lion and wolverine. Students will learn to interpret the tracks, signs and stories these species and their prey leave behind.

This snowshoe expedition will head into Glacier National Park's wildlife-rich Middle Fork of the Flathead River. The three-to-four-mile roundtrip scouting hike reveals a variety of footprints, offering glimpses of wildlife activity that normally go unseen.

Brian Baxter, a wildlife researcher and project coordinator for Silver Cloud Associates, a natural resource information company based in Libby, will lead the course. Baxter is a wildlife biologist and a member of the Western Forest Carnivore Committee. He has been involved in forest carnivore research in North America for 15 years.

To register for the "Stories in the Snow" course or request a complete catalog, call (406) 755-1211 or visit www.glacierinstitute.org. Courses are rated for skill level; the "Stories in the Snow" course is rated at "moderate" and is suitable for ages 12 and up. Course fee is $65 and includes the use of snowshoes.

Pond-stocking permit renewal due Feb. 28

Private pond owners with fish-stocking permits that are 10 years old have until Feb. 28 to renew the permit under a law passed by the 2005 Legislature.

The law requires fish-stocking permits to be renewed every 10 years and provides for permit applications and renewals.

Permits that are not renewed by the deadline will become inactive on March 1. To legally stock these ponds with fish in the future, pond owners will need to reapply for a permit. Private fish hatcheries that sell fish to pond owners may not legally sell fish to pond owners who do not have a valid permit.

People who have a permit that was issued in 1999 and do not receive a renewal form from FWP by mid-January should contact Nancy Podolinsky at 444-7319 npodolinsky@mt.gov.

Completed fish-stocking permit renewal forms and the $10 application fee should be returned to your local FWP regional office.

Ice fishing seminar planned for Jan. 31

There will be an ice-fishing seminar Jan. 31 at Sportsman's Warehouse, 2990 N. Sanders St., off Custer Avenue.

The seminar begins at 1 p.m. It will cover new and old methods of locating fish under thick ice.

For information, e-mail dnewborg@sportsmans

warehouse.com

Mountain lion districts closed to hunting

The hunting of male mountain lions in central Montana hunting districts 416, 446, 449, 452 and 454, which include portions of Broadwater, Cascade, Meagher and Judith Basin counties, and the hunting of all mountain lions in districts 313 and 316, including portions of Park, Carbon and Sweet Grass counties will close one-half hour after sunset today.

The hunting of female mountain lions in central Montana Hunting District Series 422, 423, 424, 425 and 442, which include portions of Lewis & Clark and Teton counties, closed Tuesday.